Tasting Notes: Rich Dark Chocolate, Peaches, Lemon Verbena, Fig

It’s nearly impossible for me to pick a favorite bar among the multi-awarded Goodnow Farms lineup. Each bar is an exquisite masterpiece expression of the fine flavor bean it showcases. That said, this very balanced and complex Peru Ucayali 70% Dark Chocolate Bar is a gold SOFI award winner and has collected a sizable pile of awards from many of the other judging groups as well. It’s a winner in my chocolate book! It’s very chocolatey with gorgeous notes of fresh, ripe peaches. Stunningly beautiful  

All of the Goodnow bars are velvety, delicious perfection as they melt in your mouth.

The cacao beans come from the jungles of Peru and are named after the Ucayali River, one of the major headwaters of the Amazon.

• Gold - Acadmery of Chocolate 2023
• Gold -  Sofi  Awards 2021
• Silver - Chocolate Alliance Awards 2021
• Silver - Academy of Chocolate 2021
• World Bronze - International Chocolate Awards 2020-2021
• Americas Bronze - International Chocolate Awards 2020-2021

Now a little about the region, the beans, the farmers and their process…

The Ucayal River in Peru is considered the main headstream of the Amazon River and its banks are home to hundreds of small farms that provide the beans for this bar.  Here you can see Monica Rogan of Goodnow at one such farm:

Located on Peru’s east coast, the Ucayali region was infamous for producing coca, but local farmers are now committed to growing fine flavor cacao as an alternative. This is due, in part, to the increased price that craft chocolate companies like Goodnow Farms are willing to pay for premium cacao. Also, the Peruvian government is working hard to eradicate coca crops in order to reduce crime. 

Just look at this lovely cacao pod and fruit from the Ucayali region: 

The farmers in this area typically travel by boat with their wet cacao (“baba”), to a new fermentation and drying facility built by Ucayali River Cacao, a company that pays handsomely for their fine flavor beans. Here is a photo of the small boats the farmers use to transport their wet cacao beans from their farms to the fermentary:

The facility is located deep in the jungle, but the environment is carefully controlled to enable precise fermentation and thorough drying, as these processes are crucial for beautiful flavor development.

Here are Tom and Monica Rogan, the excellent team behind Goodnow Farms Chocolate, traveling along the Ucayali River in search of the perfect beans:

• Net Weight: 55 g./ 1.94 oz.
• Country of Origin: USA